


Rise of the Fallen

by CoSunny



Category: Naruto, One Piece
Genre: Character Death, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/M, Haruno Sakura-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-02-13
Packaged: 2018-03-12 03:31:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3341963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoSunny/pseuds/CoSunny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her home village has been destroyed by misplaced hate and lies, taking with it close friends and family. Now a broken shell of the ninja she use to be, Sakura struggles to find the will to return to her friends and save her home or leave her ninja life behind. She is thrown into the hands of the Mugiwara crew, but can Sakura trust them enough and herself to complete her mission? </p>
<p>(No pairings JUST YET).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I just realized that I have yet to actually post this on here and I don't know why? I posted it on FF.net but didn't think to put it on here either. I am not the greatest writer but I do strife to be one. I struggle a lot to get a good story going, which is why this story took me ages to finally put up. I deleted my account years ago (on FF.net) when I first started my Naruto/One Piece story. It was so bad that I spent such a long time trying to find a good story to make out of it. With stories like Naruto and One Piece I try to make something that wouldn't be like an insult to their creators. My first story was definitely worse than insult...ugh it was so rough. But looking at what I have now, I think I can be happy with it and hope you can as well. I put a hell of a lot more effort into this story than I did the other and can't wait to see what happens with it in the future. Hopefully, you'll still be there to stick around and see it through with me.

_Chapter 1: Prologue_

_"Live"_

The sound of footsteps were seemingly non-existent as three figures broke through the forest line. They could have been mistaken as children for their babyish face and slim physique, but in their home, they were more than that. They were ninjas. Cold blooded fighting machines with the strength and fighting capabilities that not many people have been able to master. But as ninjas, even at their young age, they were forced to fight to the death no matter the situation. And at this moment, Sakura Haruno, was nearly at the brink of witnessing death first hand. Clutched in her teammates arms, she can feel her blood seeping from her own stomach. No matter how hard he tried, the blonde boy couldn't seem to control the flowing. His cerulean eyes gazed worriedly down at her pale face as he gently tugged her closer. It didn't matter that his arms were starting to grow numb, he would carry his teammate forever if he needed to.

"I'm okay, Naruto." Sakura whispered, sensing his fierce protectiveness for her.

Naruto Uzumaki unconsciously began to hold her tighter. "But you're bleeding so much!"

"I'm okay." She nearly shouted but forced her voice into a loud whisper. They were still hiding and the last thing they needed was to give away their location. Judging from the glare her other teammate was giving her, he was thinking the same thing.

They were at war, and even though they were caught off guard, they still needed to react efficiently. Which meant no more risks or they could all end up dead.

Sakura's emerald eyes looked up and into Naruto's.

She distinctly realized they refused to stare back at her and her scowl softened. Her small hand, damp with blood, weakly rose to rub against the whiskers tattooed to his face. The other boy gave a distressed whine, finally flicking his eyes down to look at her.

"I can't die from something like this." She said, "We're stronger than this, right?"

The spiky haired blonde didn't answer but Sakura could tell that he was more determined to protect her now more than ever. He wasn't over her brash actions but he was slowly beginning to let it go for now. That, however, didn't go the same for their quieter teammate who was still sending a side ways glare at Sakura.

"Naruto's right, Sakura."

The pink haired girl flinched slightly in Naruto's arms. There were only two times that her teammate ever said her name; in times of great stress or when he was extremely pissed at her. Sakura guessed this case had to have bee about the latter. She intently waited for the verbal beat down she was going to receive.

"You could have been killed." The raven haired boy growled. The two lighter haired teens flinched at his tone but it was Naruto that was quick to retaliate.

"She was only trying to help that poor girl, Sasuke."

Sasuke Uchiha's glare seemed to intensify as his eyes blazed red. "We don't have time to be sympathetic. Or did you all forget that we are at war!? The only people we can worry about are ourselves from here on out. Understand?"

Silence was the only answer Sasuke received. Though, if they thought about it, that was probably the best response he could have gotten.

In the mixture of all the confusion andd chaos, Sakura and her teammates had entered the front lines of their country's war. Nearly seconds into the battle they lost dozens of their comrades and friends to the enemy. People Sakura had grown up with and thought she would never lose were one-by-one picked off like flies. And the worst part of it all, they had been separated from their command leader and without him they were at a loss for their next steps. The longer he stayed missing, the more likely chance he was dead rather than alive. It was a terrible thought but it was the only logical answer they could come up with in all the madness. Besides, if they didn't make a decision on their own, they would only receive the same fate.

Suddenly, Sasuke paused from his position slightly ahead of the other two. His scarlet eyes began to scan the area. Naruto and Sakura already knew from experience what that stare could possible mean.

They were too late. Someone had finally found them. Naruto stopped a few paces in front of Sasuke but still close enough to protect his flank. Sakura was just staring at something in the darkness when she felt and saw Naruto flinch.

"Did you hear that?" Sasuke said, glancing at Naruto from the corner of his eye.

The blonde boy nodded, eyes narrowing at something behind them. Sakura noticed it was coming from the same direction they just arrived from. If she was correct, then they had been followed from the battle they barely managed to escape from. There were a few ninja, possibly hundreds, they were forced to face against. There was no telling how many managed to follow them. Using what little chakra she had left, Sakura lifted herself from Naruto's arms and squeezed her chakra powered hand to patch her wound. Sasuke wrenched her hand away before it managed to heal completely.

"Conserve your chakra!"

"I won't be much help of you if I hadn't used it, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke pursed his lips in anger. He knew she was right but that didn't make the situation any better. He turned away from her but not before taking charge of her left flank as Naruto took her other side. From behind her two teammates, Sakura could only smile as confidence began to swell in her chest.

They could do this! As long as she had the two of them, Sakura knew she could do anything. Maybe even take back their lost village hidden in the leaves.

At least that's what she thought would happen.

"Sasuke!"

Sakura gave an ear piercing wail as Sasuke wrenched her into his arms, using his body to protect her from the barrage of kunai thrown at her. The boy gave a grunt, his blood gurgling in his throat as he clutched her closer. Sakura scrambled for him to release her but his grip only intensified.

"Let me go! Let me go!" She cried. "I can heal you, please!"

Sasuke shook his head from where it was buried in her hair. Sakura couldn't tell if he was smelling her hair or too tired to hold himself up right. She pushed the thought from her head in order to wrap her own arms around him and lift them both from another onslaught of knives. She leapt through the air, a few blades suddenly slicing across her. Sakura quickly ignored it. Sasuke had suffered way more damage than she had and there was no telling what level of danger Naruto was in. They had long been separated when Naruto decided to take on two ninjas earlier on in the battle.

Sakura pumped chakra into her feet the moment her jump lead her into a tree's canopy. She blazed from branch to branch, dodging the kunai and shuriken from below. Unfortunately, she had to go on the defense now that Sasuke was pretty much out of commission. She had to find Naruto, they had to regroup or they would be picked off one by one. Sakura opened her mouth to call out to her friend when something suddenly whizzed in front of her face, embedding itself in the tree she stepped onto. Sakura saw that it was a kunai, one that had barely missed her face, but nothing more.

Ssss...

That's when she noticed the explosive tag hanging at the end of the blade.

Sakura didn't have enough time to get away from it but she knew she wasn't going to let Sasuke suffer anymore pain. She twisted her body just in time for the tag to explode, sending her far across the forest and into a pair of shrubs. There was a high pitched ringing in her ear by the time Sakura managed to come to. Her body ached and protested as she tried to lift her head and look at her surroundings. A voice in the back of her mind was screaming that Sasuke was gone, not in her arms like he had been before the explosion. Even though she knew this startling fact, her body didn't act the way she wanted it to. She struggled as tears clouded her vision.

Was this how it all ended?

Green eyes frantically looked around the clearing, searching for any sign that would lead her to her teammates, her friends, her family...

"Fuck off..."

The ninja looked up at the sound of Naruto's voice. He was alive! A small hopeful smile slowly began to creep on her face as she tried to turn in the direction she heard him. But as quickly as she spotted the blonde boy, her heart dropped into her stomach and fear filled her emerald eyes. Laying in what seemed to be a small clearing under the canopy's shadow was her battered teammate.

The sleeves to his jumpsuit were scorched on one side, revealing black and burned skin. Sakura couldn't see his face from afar but she could see the large amounts of blood dripping down his pale chin. Sakura bit her lip to the point it bled. _This was not good._

Two figures were watching Naruto from beneath the shadow's of the trees. Their faces were hidden in the darkness, making it hard for Sakura to identify them.

"Look what I found." Sakura nearly choked as her entire body stiffened. That voice was so close.

The fear of getting caught nearly suffocated her as she squeezed her eyes shut just, a ninja appeared a few feet away from her. His headband was blocked from around his waist as he held Sasuke's limp body out in front of him. Sakura couldn't even find the strength to cry out as her grief sucked the breath out of her lungs. Sasuke's eyes were closed and his skin looked like white paper.

The ninja holding Sasuke stepped forward to dump his body near Naruto's. The blonde didn't even bother to look at his teammate's still form.

"Where is she?" A ninja asked from the shadows.

"Where's who?"

Sasuke's escort slapped the blonde across the head. "Don't play stupid. Where's the pink haired bitch?"

Before Naruto had the chance to answer, Sasuke's body gave a violent shake as he coughed up blood at Naruto's feet. _He's alive!_ Tears of relief sprung at Sakura's eyes.

"You'll never find her." He croaked.

"Oh, playing the hero are we?"

Naruto weakly lifted his head up and glared at the ninja. Despite how frail and weak he looked in the center of the clearing, bloody and battered, his blue eyes looked as strong as a burning flame. Sakura could tell the ninja looked slightly intimidated. Sasuke's glare didn't look any weaker without the red bleeding into his obsidian eyes. "We'll always protect, Sakura-chan."

"But she can't protect you, can she?"

The ninja lifted his hand and Sakura instinctively turned away as two loud thuds echoed in the forest. Her throat constricted and suddenly Sakura couldn't feel her body any longer. But that was the last of her problems, her friends were dead. Naruto and Sasuke, she would never see them again. Those few words repeated itself in Sakura's mind as her limbs lit on fire. Her head swayed and just as she was going to let out a moan of confusion, a hand wrapped itself around her mouth. She gave a slightly miffed noise and gazed up at her attacker.

To her surprise, she saw Naruto and Sasuke leaning over her. She wriggled in surprise, trying to make Naruto move his hand from around her mouth but he only shushed her.

"Quiet Sakura-chan!" He hissed with a smile. "Are you trying to get caught?"

From her other side, Sasuke shook his head with a roll of his eyes. "Idiot."

Tears streamed down her eyes even more but Sakura knew they were tears of happiness. But she was still confused as to how they were here and not in the clearing with the other unknown ninja. The only logical explanation could have been.

"Clones." She whispered. "You used substitution clones."

Sasuke and Naruto didn't answer as they scrambled to get the girl to her feet. Sakura grunted when a sharp pain stabbed through her stomach, she glanced down and noticed the wound she tried to heal earlier had reopened. Sasuke was the first to notice, "I should have let you heal it better." He said, avoiding her eyes as two boys lead her forward.

"It's okay." Sakura said. "If you had let me, I wouldn't have been able to fight with you like I did."

Sasuke didn't say anything and they continued their trudge forward. For awhile, Sakura thought they could actually make it in the clear and possibly find some sort of shelter. She should have realized she was only avoiding the inevitable. Even with her chakra so low, Sakura could still sense three chakra sources making their way quickly towards them.

"Can you run?" Naruto asked her.

Sakura nodded. "I can make it but we can't possibly run forever."

"Don't worry." The blonde smiled at her. "We can do this."

With a nod and a smile of her own, Sakura followed the blonde into the shadows, not realizing that Sasuke had disappeared from her side. Naruto decided to lead her into the trees, using the branches to catapult him forward with ease. Sakura found herself struggling to keep up and weakly reached out to him, barely missing a kunai and some other weapons to her torso.

"N-Naruto." She called. "I-I can't go that fast."

However, the blonde didn't seem to be able to hear her and continued on unfazed. That was when Sakura finally noticed Sasuke was gone and glanced around to look for him.

"Naruto where's Sasuke-kun?" But as she looked up to stare at the blonde for an answer, he was nowhere to be found. Sakura's pink hair whipped around her as she frantically looked around in the darkness. She was completely alone.

"She's gone crazy."

Or she thought she was.

A few branches deeper into a tree's canopy were one of the three ninja that had attacked her team earlier. Only one ninja caught her attention as he was the closest to her. His dark hair was spikey and pointed in every direction, his grinning face struck an irritating nerve in Sakura. He shook his head at her as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I mean, she has to be." He said, "I know I saw her walking away after we killed her little friends."

Sakura smirked. They still didn't know the Naruto and Sasuke they saw were just clones. She figured her two teammates must have been hiding from somewhere they could attack unexpectedly. From above her, a girl with long black hair tied with a white bow moved closer from her spot a few trees away from Sakura. The girl glared at the spikey haired boy.

"If you saw her, why didn't you just kill her?" She sighed with a roll of her eyes. "I'm so sick of all this chasing."

"Where's the fun in that!?"

Before the girl could start a screaming match, another ninja appeared at her side. She instantly grew quiet as he glared between the two of them. "Knock it off. Just kill her so we can get out of here."

That seemed to be the deal changer and soon Sakura had two different blades aimed at her. Sakura knew they could easily kill her with one blow.

Sakura didn't think she had the speed now to deflect them nor the ability to get back up should their blades strike their target. The girl racked her mind restlessly for a solution when she noticed something at the corner of her eye. Waving his arms enthusiastically to gain her attention was Naruto, bright smile and happy eyes once she finally noticed him. Without even thinking Sakura jumped to join him on the ground, barely missing the two knives. She landed wobbly on her feet but by the time she looked up to speak to Naruto, she found Sasuke in his place. The raven haired boy smirked at her confused face and grabbed her arm before running off in the darkness.

"What is going on?" Sakura said through gritted teeth, the pain in her stomach almost unbearable. "Where is Naruto?"

Sasuke shrugged much to Sakura's annoyance. "Don't worry, he's fine."

The way he left such a short answer had Sakura suspicious, but Sasuke would never do anything to lie to or hurt her. She just didn't like how they were running around without each other. It was dangerous being alone at this point but they were brushing it off as nothing! Sakura wanted to argue, shout all her confusion and grief, but Sasuke's warm hand in her's kept her grounded.

It was almost as if he was sucking it all away from her. The thought was comforting but it didn't do anything to stop the blood rushing from her stomach and in between her fingers. The more she ran, the harder it became to stay focused or even see in front of her. Sasuke was slowly becoming a blur until he just completely disappeared from sight. If it weren't for him holding her, she would have thought she had been running alone.

"We're not gonna make it out of this are we?"

Sasuke didn't even falter. "Of course you will."

Sakura looked up, pink brow quirked. "Don't you mean 'we'?"

"No." Sakura couldn't help her scream of surprise when Naruto suddenly appeared beside her, that contagious smile on his face. "Just you."

Suddenly, they both stopped running. Sakura tried to follow their lead and plant her feet in the dirt to stop, but all the running and the blood draining from her body made her too weak to react fast enough. It became an even bigger surprise when she realized she was heading straight down a steep hill. Her instincts screamed at her to latch on to Sasuke's hand but he let her go just as gravity began to drag her down. Sakura craned her neck to look up at her teammates through her tears. They continued to stand at the top of the hill, not even bothering to reach out for her or help her in her descent.

However, she did notice they were smiling.

Eventually, Sakura's body collided to the ground and she went tumbling down the hill. It felt like hours had passed as she continued to roll. Bushes and branches scratched against her until she finally landed with a thump at the base of the hill. From there she couldn't even see the top of the hill anymore, the forest wildlife made it too difficult to see where she last saw her friends.

"Oh my god." A voice from beside Sakura made her jump in surprise. A masked man with spiky white hair was standing only a few feet from Sakura. It looked like he had been through a few battles himself judging from the scratches and bruises along every piece of skin she could see. Sakura's heart leapt for joy once she finally realized who it was.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura cried and the man ran forward, wrapping his arms around here in a bone crushing hug. She knew Sasuke and Naruto would be excited to see him again like she was. Sakura voiced this much to him but he suddenly went stiff.

"Sensei?" Sakura quirked a brow at him as the man continued to stay frozen. "What's wrong?"

She put a hand on his chest to get his attention but gasped when she felt something warm on her hand. She pulled her hand back, finding it red and dripping with blood. However, Kakashi didn't look like he was hurt. He seemed fine, in fact. Despite the strange looking he was giving her.

"Sakura..."He said."Did you not see them?"

For a moment, Sakura was confused, enraptured by the large amount of blood on her sensei's chest, but she snapped out of it. "I did! They're at the top of that hill, they just lead me here but-"

"Sakura." Kakashi Hatake interrupted her. "Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto are gone."

"What?" Sakura twitched, her mind not being able to comprehend. "What do you mean gone? I just saw them!"

The silver haired man just shook his head but refused to meet her eyes. He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her like Naruto and Sasuke had done many times to her before. "I may have lost them, but I won't let them take you."

The older man stood and folded his fingers into position as he drew a symbol in the dirt in front of Sakura. The pink haired girl instantly noticed the jutsu and tried to react but her energy was completely depleted. The blood running down her stomach was now gushing out of her at an alarming rate.

"Sensei," She whimpered. "Don't do this."

"I won't let you die here." Kakashi shouted, Sakura faintly worried that someone would hear. Those ninja weren't too far behind her. Surely, they will catch up to them. "I'll die before I let them get to you too."

"I can still fight! Aren't we still a team?"

"What team, Sakura?!"

The pink haired girl didn't know how to answer that. Even though they had been separated why didn't their own commander still see them as a team? Was he quitting on them? Was he leaving them when they clearly needed him the most?

Kakashi continued as she grew quiet. "I'll use enough chakra to transport you some place you will be safe. You can still live Sakura, some place where you can be happy and be rid of this war."

"I don't want to leave!"

Sakura gasped as the symbol in front of her began to glow as it was charged with chakra. The glow became a flashing light the closer it got to its completion. Kakashi smiled down softly at his only female student. She looked back up at him, tears in her eyes that he will never be proud to be the cause of. However, he knew this was for the best.

"Live, Sakura."

And in a flash of lightning, she disappeared.


	2. Lost and Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura finally meets the crew.

ONE YEAR LATER...

Now that they were venturing on the Grand Line, Luffy and his crew were subject to many strange encounters. They befriended a whale and the man living inside of it, fought countless Sea Kings, and even had a talking reindeer join their crew as their doctor. By now this crew shouldn't be surprised by anything that might be thrown their way. But the crew was never expecting how they were going to meet their newest guest.

Monkey D. Luffy , captain to the Mugiwara Pirates, had always enjoyed his seat on top of the Merry Go's lamb head. It was special and there was no other seat like it anywhere on the ship, so he claimed it as his. Luffy could spend hours on top of that lamb's head and usually he was able to find something to spark his interest. Today, served to be the same like every other day when he noticed a flock of birds surrounding something in the water. Usopp, Luffy's star sharp shooter instantly took notice to what managed to collect his captain's interest and leaned over to him.

"What is it?"

"No clue!" Luffy shouted, earning looks from the other members of his crew. "Let's find out!"

With a stretch of his arm, the straw hat boy extended his hand in between the squawking birds. He got a jolt of pain when the birds began to peck and nip at his arm for trying to take their object of interest. Luffy gasped in surprise and yanked his hand back, taking whatever he could grab out of the water and high into the air. As his hand began to retract the rest of the crew tried to figure out what the object was their captain found.

"Maybe it's food."

"Don't you think it's kind of big?"

"Wait a minute." Nami said, the navigator stepping slightly closer to the ship's railing in order to get a look at the strange object. "Is that a..."

The figure was getting closer, becoming more defined in it's shape until it clearly could be recognized as a human body. Flowing hair practically covered the person's body but it was obvious from the curve of the hips and the tiny frame the object they found was a..

"A girl!?" Luffy cried and quickly swung his arm so that she didn't crash land into the ship's wooden floor. Unfortunately, that tugged the girl straight into the captain's chest, sending them both into the large mast with a loud crash. The pirate crew quickly reacted after seeing their captain hit the pillar, though their main concern only seemed to be the girl.

"Whoa." Nami shuddered, as she got closer to the strange girl. "All those wounds."

"She looks like she's been through a grater." Zoro said, earning a swift kick in the face from their blonde chef, Sanji.

"You've got a lot of nerve saying that about a lady!"

"Oh shut up, you perverted cook."

"Hey, knock it off." Usopp grumbled, rolling his eyes at his nakama. "What are we going to do about her?"

Chopper, the furry doctor of the Mugiwara crew, pushed his way through the crowd of people in order to stand beside the girl. She hadn't moved an inch from where she lay in Luffy's lap. Her long hair was a matted mess clinging to all the blood and dirt caked on to her pale skin. The clothes she wore were torn in many areas, nearly revealing the plump of her breasts and the dipped 'V' of her hips. Judging from Sanji's love struck face, Chopper wasn't the only one who had noticed.

"Who could possibly do something so terrible?" Nami leaned down beside her captain and sat on her shins. She pulled the girl from Luffy's lap and maneuvered her so Chopper could have better access to her wounds. The navigator lead the girl's head to her lap, where she gently placed her matted hair away from her face. Once her fingers pressed against her forehead, Nami gave a gasp.

"She has a fever!"

Chopper nodded without stopping at his work. "She must have got from floating in that water. There's no telling how long she was in there."

The reindeer pulled the girl's shirt up slightly when he noticed a strange mound of skin was different than the rest. It was obviously a wound in her abdomen, but it looked as if it had been closed up. Luffy quirked a brow at what his doctor was so focused on.

"What is that?"

"It's a filling." Chopper said, inspecting the wound a little closer. "And a really well made one at that."

"What does it do?" Usopp asked, expecting Chopper to answer, but it was Zoro that spoke up.

"Helps close a wound in a hurry. Stops the bleeding so the person can keep moving." Zoro crossed his arms over his chest. "Soldiers use them to keep fighting when in battle."

"Unfortunately, it stops the wound from healing and makes it more prone for infection." Chopper chimed in. Maybe his diagnosis was wrong and this girl was dealing with a viral infection. He needed to get her quickly into the meeting room where he had his medical equipment. He voiced his opinions to the crew and after getting his captain's permission, ordered Usopp to bring the girl to his quarters. Though the sniper grumbled about it, Usopp carried the frail girl up the stairs and into the kitchen as the doctor ordered. The rest of the crew watched them leave, muttering to themselves about their latest find.

\------

A calloused hand was reaching out to her in the distance, nearly masked by clouds of smoke as a hoarse voice screamed her name. Explosions went off left and right and something warm splattered across her face. She pressed a trembling hand into the mess, getting a strange feeling when she noticed it was blood. Something inside of her told her she should be afraid, worried, but not because it was her blood. But someone else's. The need to run seemed to intensify the heavier the smoke became but she was frozen still on her knees. 

She needed to get away before they got her too, but she couldn't move, no matter how much she wanted to.

Why?

WHY?

There was a cry and Sakura turned her back to the person reaching out to her. From behind her she could see the chaos they had all been trying to escape from. Men and women of all ages rallied against each other. They jumped and flew through the air, knocking their fists and feet into one another, until the other went down. Kunai and shuriken zipped through the air, hitting their targets dead on and splattering more blood after contact. 

Sakura's stomach rumbled distastefully at all the blood and gore but she couldn't find herself able to turn away. She was broken from her reverie by something warm but damp dropping into her lap. She snapped her head around and found a familiar blonde haired boy resting across her legs. She pressed her hand into the body, moving it until the person was on their back. A horrid scream left her mouth the moment she recognized her beloved teammate Naruto lying dead in her presence. His lifeless blue eyes staring at the sky. 

The sound of clanging metal and grunts of pain caught her attention and she looked away from the blonde. She vaguely noticed that same person, still unrecognizable due to the distance, was still reaching out to her as he ran straight through the middle of more fighting. The only thing that caught her attention the most was that Naruto, her seemingly dead teammate, was now in front of her standing amongst the chaotic war.

Confused Sakura turned her attention back to the blonde in her lap. He still hadn't moved but they were the same person. But when she looked back up, she saw another ninja standing a foot or two from Naruto's side. Meanwhile, the figure in the distance was getting closer, grey hair and a mask becoming more evident. 

Sakura realized the boy standing near Naruto was their other teammate, Sasuke. The two of them continued to stand from afar as if there wasn't a war going on right in front of them. Yet, there seemed to be no one paying attention to them. 

Sakura looked down when something pressed against her thigh. She didn't even bother to hold back her surprise as she found Sasuke's lifeless body near Naruto's doppelganger, his dark eyes staring into the distance behind her.

There was another shout and suddenly Kakashi is in her face, screaming at her, but she can't seem to hear what he is saying. Everything has gone deathly silent. Explosions erupt from all around them, but Kakashi and Sakura seem to be the only ones to acknowledge it. The other Sasuke and Naruto continue to stand there completely unfazed while their clones stay motionless at her lap. Why are they still standing there? Why didn't Kakashi get them when he ran past?

Why?

WHY?

Kakashi suddenly stands and his hands blur in a flurry of movement. Sakura doesn't react the same way she did the last time she saw those hand signs. Instead, she tries to reach out to her teammates standing in the center of the battle field. She needs to take them with her if they ever want to escape together.

She tries to move but the two bodies on top of her are weighing her down much more than before. 

"Live, Sakura." Kakashi says but she frantically shakes her head in denial. The pink haired ninja looks down to push her teammates' copies off her lap when she notices they are staring at her. 

Blue and black eyes void of life practically bore into her soul. "Live, Sakura." They say. 

Sakura snaps her head up again, surprised to see her two teammates that were just a few feet away, were now standing at either side of Kakashi. However, the man didn't seem to see them or at least acknowledge them. These two, however, were frowning at her, the life still radiating in their eyes but oddly different. 

"Live, Sakura."

Eventually, she awakes with a small but unnoticeable jolt. It takes her several moments to realize that her vision has gone blurry and her body is slightly too overheated to be normal. She turns her head, flinches through the headache it gives her, and tries to take in her surroundings. Her vision clears and she can finally see she's in some kind of room. It's tiny but not too uncomfortable for her to handle. However, she can't remember being in this room before she blacked out. Then, a flurry of memories come back to her as she tries to remember.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi...they're waiting for her to come back.

Just as she is about to move and escape the room, she realizes she is not alone. At her side, though they have their back to her, is a tiny furry creature wearing a pink hat and a skinny man with curly dark hair. The man is fussing over something on the table, grumbling something under his breath as he does so, while the creature sniffs something at the table. They seem harmless to Sakura, until she sees the collection of knives and different sized blades at the man's side. Instinct tells her she should fear the most and react before they can do something.

Sakura glances at the door not too far from where she was laying. If she guesses right, there's probably more people standing outside that door. She knows she can't assume they'll just let her go if she asks. She has to have some sort of incentive to get her way. Her emerald eyes return to the creature and the tiny man, just in time for her and the man to lock eyes.

It's almost as if time has frozen between them as they stare at each other. Then the creature looks up, makes a little noise at the man, and turns his head to see what suddenly has his attention. Suddenly, time has picked up for Sakura and she quickly reacts as the little raccoon thing begins to jump to its feet. She kicks the thing to the feet and swoops around to grab the skinny man just as he let out a piercing shriek.

\------

Nami gave a confused groan as they all climbed the stairs towards the kitchen. "She looked like she had been through hell."

"Or worse," Zoro added. "Those don't look like a normal blade cut her."

Sanji gritted his teeth in annoyance, "Who would do such a thing to a lady!"

The Mugiwara crew, minus Usopp and Chopper, were nearly half way up the steps when they heard a loud crash come from the kitchen. However, they couldn't tell who was the owner of the high pitched scream that followed right after. The teens raced up the steps as the noises suddenly got louder, worried for the safety of their friends.

Luffy was the first to kick the door open and burst into the kitchen, fists raised for a fight. He, probably like the rest of his crew, were confused to see Usopp had himself in a tight head lock by the pink haired girl they had saved from the sea. And under her right foot, keeping him firmly in place on the floor, was Chopper.

"What are you doing to my nakama!?" Luffy shouted.

The smaller girl, shaking with a mixture of fatigue, fear and the wet clothes clinging to her, glared at the rubber captain. Determination and panic reflected in her emerald eyes as she glared at the strange faces around her. Reaching behind her and into her torn skirt, the girl pulled out a small knife from the pouch strapped to her waist. The knife was strange in its shape, one that many of the crew were unfamiliar with. The black blade fit perfectly in the girl's hand as she maneuvered it easily to press against Usopp's neck. The sharp shooter gave a loud whimper, crying out for his nakama.

"You don't get to ask any questions." The pink haired girl growled. "Or this one will lose his head."

Usopp gave a choked gurgle as the pinkette tightened her hold around his neck. "Help!"

Zoro smacked his lips in annoyance at the sniper. "Come on, Usopp! How did you let her over power you? She's injured!"

"Don't you think I know that!? She's stronger than she looks."

"Zoro's got a point though." Nami whispered from behind Sanji and Luffy. The two shifted slightly, letting her know they heard her clearly. "She's still injured and even suffering from a fever. She'll be down in no time but she'll be dangerous if we stress her too much."

"So, we're stalling." Sanji sighed and pinched a small piece of Luffy's shorts. "That means don't go running off.'

The Straw Hat captain didn't answer but Sanji knew he was listening, though he didn't like it.

From side-to-side the pink haired girl whipped her head around in each pirate's direction, waiting for an answer, or worse, someone to attack. But no one seemed to be genuinely interested in harming her. However, looks could be deceiving and she was no stranger to people lying to her.

Sanji was the first to step a little closer. He raised his hands slightly above his head in a surrendering manner. "Now, now, milady." He said softly, "We don't want to fight."

The strange girl narrowed her eyes at him and pressed her knife a little deeper into the sniper's neck. Each of the pirates flinched when they saw a drop of blood run down their friend's neck. This girl was serious and if they didn't act quickly, they wouldn't lose just one comrade but possibly two.

"Then what do you want?" She growled.

"Nothing!" Sanji said quickly. "We found you floating in the water and thought we should help you. Our captain was the one who pulled you out."

The pink haired girl snapped her attention towards Luffy as Sanji motioned toward him. The slightly smaller boy gave an vigorous nod and stuck out his chest towards their attacker. "That's right!"

For a moment it looked like the girl had faltered, as if she believed their story and knew she was wrong for her actions. But the sight was only short lived until she was tensing back up and tightening her grip around Usopp. Even if she was wrong for her assumptions, that didn't mean they weren't going to attack or kill her for attacking their comrades. Fatigue gripped at her overheated body, making her legs buckle slightly from behind her hostage. The crew jerked forward to react but stopped the moment she caught her balance.

"Infection!" Chopper suddenly choked from beneath her foot.

The girl froze as did everyone else in the room.

"You have a viral infection!" He said again. "You need medic-."

"Ah!"

The girl suddenly scrambled away, dropping her knife in her haste to get away from Chopper. Usopp didn't waste any time in running away until he was safely behind his crew. He was surprised that Chopper didn't follow him but, instead, stood his ground in front of the surprised girl.

"Are you listening?" The tiny doctor shouted. "You could die from that fever you got from the infection. You could die!"

Frozen in fear the stranger pressed herself as far as she could into the far wall. Her knees seemed to buckle even more, her eyes wide like saucers at the sight she was witnessing. Who were these people!? And why did they have a talking raccoon?

"I'm not a raccoon, damnit!"

Did I say that out loud?

From the doorway, Luffy began to laugh and point at Chopper's increasingly angry face. Maybe this was a joke between the strange crew, because they all seemed to have relaxed now that their friend was unconsciously being insulted. All except for the sniper, at least. He was still cowering.

"Look, I'm a doctor. I can help you." Chopper said with a softer voice. He stepped towards the girl slowly, almost like a human finding an injured animal.

Oh, how the roles have changed.

"Who are you people?" The stranger turned her head to address the other crew members when Chopper jumped at her. The girl being distracted made it easy enough for him to transform to his Heavy Point. "Rumble!"

However, the girl proved to be faster than he expected. Using his height against him, the pinkette dipped under his much larger form and quickly slid through the opening of his legs. As a result, Chopper smacked face first into the wall in front of him, and fell to his knees in pain. He pointed a large hand at his comrades.

"Grab her!" He shouted.

Zoro and Sanji were the only ones to spring forward and toward the girl. In the tiny space, it would be difficult for her to just squeeze away like she did Chopper. It would be dangerous for them to do anything judging from the close proximity the kitchen forced them into. That proved to not be a problem for the swordsman who quickly unsheathed only two of his three swords.

"A swordsman." The stranger thought grimly but didn't falter in her path out the door. She raised her kunai ready to counter in any way she knew how when Sanji suddenly sent a swift kick the swordsman's face. The stranger paused watching the green haired man go straight through the kitchen table and into the floor with a loud crash.

Weren't these people comrades, she thought in confusion. The blonde chef looked much more angrier at the swordsman rather than at the stranger that held two of his friends hostage.

"You idiot marimo!" Sanji shouted, "Don't put your shitty sword to a lady's face like that."

"Who's side are you on?!"

"Obviously, I'm on the side of this sweet little girl when it comes to you. Who would want to help your ugly ass?"

The girl considered the wreckage and the two fighting for a moment before glaring back at the other set of pirates. Nami and Usopp easily cowered under her steel gaze, dropping to their knees far away from the doorway. Now they only one who stood in her way was Luffy.

"Stop her, Luffy!" Chopper shouted.

Luffy flinched, snapping himself out of whatever daze he had found himself in. His arms moved accordingly, stretching out in an attempt to bind the girl in place. Her reaction was what everyone had pretty much expected. Not many people had the ability to stretch themselves beyond human capability. Chopper smirked triumphantly. He could practically foresee Luffy's victory.

Surely, this would be enough to catch her off her guard before she could hurt herself even more. As the two stared at each other, it was obvious she seem surprised, startled at Luffy's Gomu Gomu no mi powers but not for too long.

There was a sudden shift in the air, like a weight had been lifted from their shoulders. It was electrifying as it lit a spark of energy through the air. It was obvious that it was their strange visitor that seemed to be the cause of it all. From where she stood at the center of the room a blue glow emitted from beneath her feet. A rush of air breezed through the room and suddenly her feet were ignited by a cerulean flame.

"Her feet are on fire!" Luffy was instantly impressed. "Awesome!"

In that same instant that Luffy lost focus, the strange girl took just one step and disappeared. To the naked eye, it seemed as if she had just phased from existence when in reality she was just too fast for them to see. That little blue flame at her feet was the only thing she needed to push herself forward, avoiding Luffy's rubber arms like they were harmless. She crouched and extended her arms until she reached Luffy's shoulders and jumped over him with effortless grace. Luffy and his crew were left stunned at the display and could only watch in surprise as the girl escaped through the door a second later.

"Marvelous!" Sanji was the first to bellow, hearts replacing his dark eyes. "As expected of an angel!"

Zoro sent a swift kick through Sanji's head. "Now is not the time, ero-cook!"

Chopper interrupted the two before they could start another argument, pushing the two out the door. "Move, move! Get my patient!"

All at once, the Mugiwara crew each tried to step through the thin doorway and out towards the deck. They pushed and shoved each other, cursing insults and nasty slurs one after the other until they heard a loud clang from in front of them. The stranger they had tried to capture from before was standing at the end of the stairs, her back to the struggling crew as she stared out into the endless sea. There wasn't an island in sight for the Mugiwara crew had hit a "dry spell" after leaving Chopper's home island.

Obviously, she was unaware of that.

"Hey," Chopper whimpered, his animal instinct catching her flurry of hidden emotions. "Are you okay?"

The girl didn't answer for quite some time, choosing to stare out into the ocean as if it were some great enigma. Then she turned, her green eyes filled with tears and pain, accidently kicking her tiny blade away in the process. "I remembered." She whispered, "They're all dead now."

And suddenly, she fainted, smacking into the cold floor board without a sound.

The Mugiwara crew flinched into action until Zoro held his sword out in front of them like a gate. "Wait a minute." He said, "Don't just go jumping over to her. What happens if she suddenly attacks?"

"She's unconscious, Zoro! She can't do anything to us now." Chopper cried, pushing through the crowd of taller people to run to the girl's side. The reindeer shook his head in dismay, his tiny hoove resting against her sweaty forehead. "Her fever went up! Bring her back to the kitchen."

Chopper looked expectedly at Usopp who quickly looked towards Sanji. "No way, not this time! Sanji, you do it!"

"OKAY!" The cook was more than happy to oblige until he saw Luffy suddenly move forward. The taller man stopped and with the rest of the crew, watched as their captain picked up the pink haired girl and carried her up the stairs. His face completely serious as he strode purposely into the kitchen. Eventually, Chopper followed him up the stairs, slamming the door shut behind him as the rest of crew sat and waited.

\------

A couple of hours must have passed by the time Sakura felt her conciousness return to her. She tried to move, noticing her body was unbelievably sore and groaned in pain.

She recognizes the sound of metal moving across something, like a sword suddenly becoming unsheathed. "Good. She's awake. I'll be ready for her this time." A deep voice says.

There is a rustle of movement and the sound of people yelling at each other when Sakura finally is able to open her eyes. The group of people she was trying to escape from earlier, were nearly all crowded around the green haired swordsman. Who gave a tiny grunt when she looked at them, catching everyone's attention.

All eyes turned to her, especially the eyes of the straw hat boy. His dark eyes lock on to her as he swirls to face her in his tiny rolling chair. "You okay now?" He says with a bright and toothy grin.

Sakura can't help but find hersef nodding as she does a mental check of herself. There's no more pain in her head and that dull ache she had is slowly losing its grip on her body. Her wounds weren't carrying her down anymore like they had done the last time she had woken up on this strange ship. Now that her vision had also made an exceptional recovery, the girl took a moment to address the other members of the crew wearily.

"Feeling better then?" The orange haired girl asked. Sakura nodded and the other girl motioned to the little furry creature she met earlier laying at her side. His hat was still on as he crowded in close to her and snored softly. Sakura bit her lip to hide how adorable he looked. She had to stay focused, she could still be in enemy lines for all she knew.

"He stayed up all night to make you better." The other girl added. "He did all the bandaging and put all the medicine in your wounds."

"He did?" Sakura croaked out.

The boy wearing the straw hat, Sakura believed he might have been the captain, gave a vigorous nod. "Chopper is my crew's doctor. He's really good, isn't he?" Sakura receives a smile that only a proud captain would give when mentioning his crew. Sakura glanced at the reindeer and her wounds. Although he was a little excessive with the bandages, he did get rid of the pain and majority of her fever.

"Who are you people?" Sakura asked, turning her attention to the group watching her intently. As a ninja, she couldn't trust many people that weren't of her own kind, but these people seemed to be different. They had taken her in and even healed her wounds after she had attacked them. They also didn't seem to be interested in doing any harm to her since she had awoke.

There weren't that many people in the world that had shown her that kind of kindness. She figured if they really were her enemy, they would have attacked by now, at least.

The captain, with his wide and toothy grin, points to himself. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy, I am the captain of this pirate ship."

Rather young to be a captain. Let alone being a pirate, Sakura thought, but the rest of the group was sort of the same way. Luffy pointed his finger to the orange haired girl now sitting at the foot of the bed. "That's Nami, she's the navigator."

"The green haired guy with the all the swords is Zoro and the blonde beside him is Sanji, our chef."

Sakura noticed there was something off about the two men Luffy had just mentioned. The blonde boy didn't seem to be too dangerous, he seemed harmless really. The only strange thing about him was the way he was staring at her like she had hung the moon and polished the stars. It was a stare she remembered Naruto giving her countless times when they first began as a team.

It was clear from the way the two held themselves, they were important members of this little crew.

The swordsman had an obvious sense of dislike for her. Sakura could tell he was holding his guard up against her. She wasn't really surprised by that notion and was actually relieved someone was acting the way she expected. The others seemed to have forgotten as if they were unfazed. Sakura would just have to make sure she was on her best behavior when around him.

However, the blonde, Sanji, was the one who made her the most uncomfortable. He hadn't stopped staring at her ever since she first laid eyes on him. There was something about him that just set Sakura off on all her defensive modes. Especially, from the way he had 'protected' her the second Zoro tried to swing his sword in her direction. She had never seen a comrade attack one of their own for some random person.

Then the man in question suddenly moved. Nearly an inch away from the bed, he bent to one knee and grabbed Sakura's in his own. "Thank you for blessing me with your beauty, milady." He said with a deep voice. "Now would you do me the honor of blessing me with your name?"

Sakura was surprised for a moment as her cheeks began to color violently. She squeaked and pulled her hand away just as Usopp side kicked Sanji to the floor. The blonde quickly recovered to his feet, grabbing Usopp by his shirt and nearly lifting him in the air with one hand. Sakura had expected the smaller boy to be frightened, as he seemed so afraid of her last time, but the look he gave Sanji was fierce. He actually looked pissed on Sakura's behalf.

"What you hit me for, Usopp?"

"Because you're a pervert!" The sharpshooter glared. "You don't just hit on a girl like that while she's recovering. You're stressing her out!"

The two continued to argue for a minute when Zoro spoke up. "I don't know why any of you would expect less from that ero-cook."

Two sets of eyes instantly snapped in his direction. Zoro had expected Sanji to give him a look but Usopp was a surprise.

"Shut your shitty mouth, marimo."

"Yeah! Don''t get me started on you too, Zoro! You're the one that tried to cut the girl into pieces."

"I was protecting YOU you ungrateful little-"

And that was how another fight broke out. Now, between the sharpshooter, the chef, and the first mate. Sakura couldn't believe how much fighting and arguing this crew could get into at such a short amount of time. At least the navigator seemed a little upset about it, but Sakura could see the fond expression in her eyes. She'd known that look anywhere for she would catch herself doing the same thing for her friends at home. A gut wrenching pain of mourning cut into her but Sakura was quick to mask her pain.

"So," Luffy began. "What is your name?"

Sakura blushed from all the attention directed to her but stomped down her fear as she faced the crew. With her knees tucked under her, she gave a small bow, green eyes closed. "My name is Sakura of the Haruno clan."

"Clan?"

"It's the ninja family I was born into."

"NINJA!?" Luffy's eyes seemed to light up. "So you are a ninja?"

The girl almost seemed afraid to answer, but spoke anyway. "Yes, I am."

The Straw Hat captain looked as if he could explode with happiness and excitement at the sudden revelation. He had never seen a real life ninja before but it was always on his agenda to finally meet one. He was, however, surprised that they looked the way they did. He expected them to be hulking with muscle but lean with speed and agility.

But this girl didn't look to be anywhere near to what Luffy had pictured. Sure, she was fast and did prove capable of avoiding him before with her fire feet, but she didn't look like she could keep up with him in a fight. Maybe, she was a weak ninja? Without any self-restrain, Luffy voiced his thoughts and nearly got a punch in the face. Fortunately, he was fast enough to move out of the way.

"Don't call me weak!" She bellowed.

Luffy laughed at the girl's distress. "Sorry, sorry." He said, "It's just...you weren't what I expected for a ninja."

"Yes," Sakura said. "I've heard."

"So wait," Luffy leaned in close to the girl, forgetting all personal boundaries that he had been taught. "Is that how you were able to move so fast? Is that what ninjas do?"

"It's one of the things we are taught, yes."

Luffy's eyes practically burst from his face. "That's so cool! You have to teach me! Did the fire burn? Can you shoot lasers too?"

"There has to be something wrong with this boy," the ninja thought to herself, then looked at the rest of the crew, seemingly watching her in amazement. "There has to be something wrong with all of them."

Chopper chose that exact moment to wake from his dream, giving a scream as he saw his 'patient' no longer lying in bed.

"You shouldn't be moving!" He cried, "Especially, with those injuries."

Sakura smiled at the small reindeer, giving him a slight pat on the head as he fussed over her. "You were the one who healed my wounds." Her grin softened. "Thank you."

Chopper paused, mesmerized by her elegant smile, his furry face began to burn in embarrassment. He hopped to his feet beside the bed and awkwardly rubbed the back of his furry head. He laughed without looking back at Sakura. "Don't compliment me, idiot! I'm not happy or anything, idiot!"

Watching as the small animal continued to curse and rant in his own little world, the girl suddenly began to sway as nausea hit her. Maybe she wasn't as completely healed as she thought she was.

"Shit." She cursed, rocking from side to side.

Nami steadied the girl with a hand on her shoulder. "Geez, these wounds are ridiculous. You shouldn't move around too much, like Chopper said."

Sakura brushed her hand off, feeling slightly irritable with so many people clustered around her. "They're old, nothing to worry about."

"You say that now, but your wounds tell a different story. "Usopp said, worry coating his tone of voice.

"Sorry, but do you mind if I ask where you got those wounds from?"

Nami expected the girl was ignoring her question when she stayed quiet but no one was prepared for the horrid sob the girl let out a moment later. She struggled to catch her breath, body shaking and writhing as if she was reliving the pain dealt to her. The images kept replaying Sakura's mind, forcing her to remember what she foolishly forgot. Her injuries, however, were unprepared for all the movement. Eventually, her bandages gave away as she dealt more damage to her healing wounds.

She could vaguely hear the crew's voices trying to calm her but Sakura had them confused with the screams of pain she had heard months ago. In her flustered state, she failed to notice Zoro give the navigator a disapproving stare for even bothering to ask such a question. In a blur of motion, the swordsman darted forward, wrapping a firm hand around the back of Sakura's neck.

The girl instantly stilled, wide fearful eyes staring into Zoro's. The man spoke softly to her. "Calm down. You're safe now. No one can hurt you anymore."

Sakura slowly began to relax after a deep breath. She had been trapped in a volley between reality and her biggest nightmare until the pressure of Zoro's firm but gentle grip grounded her.

"I'm sorry," Nami stammered, as the girl finally gained control of her breathing. "I didn't mean to bring back any bad memories."

Sakura gave the navigator a side glance but did nothing to calm her worries. She wasn't angry at the girl, but angry at herself for acting the way she did. She thought after a year of being away from it all, she would have better control of herself. Judging from the way the reindeer was putting on a new set of bandages, she was wrong.

"These bad memories could never just be wiped away. No matter how much I want them to."

Silence fell over the group as the Mugiwara's watched the pink haired girl struggle with her breathing and the shaking in her tiny form. To those that had stared at her, she might have looked smaller, clutched into a ball as if she wanted to draw less attention to herself.

Luffy just thought she seemed lonely.

"You have no where to go?"

Sakura shrugged. "I can't tell anymore. I don't know what I am supposed to do."

The Straw Hat captain looked thoughtful for a minute, his grin stretching unbelievably wide. "Well, then...until you find out, how about you join my crew?"

\------

A tall and slender man stood at the tallest point of his favorite mountain. Shrouded by the trees and the other plant life in the forest, the slender man was well hidden as he always loved to be. The less people were able to see him, the better his plans all came together. It was only a matter of time before he was moving the final piece in place. 

"There was a shifting sound of something moving behind the man, but he didn't seem afraid. He tilted his head slightly in the noises direction and spoke in a clear and quiet hiss. "Has everything been moved in order?"

"Yes, we are expected to send the next set of troops out soon. They only need a few days for supplies."

"And the others?"

"Struggling to respond." The other man said, his glasses flickering against the moonlight. "They have obtained a new leader of order."

"Oh?" The slender man looked pleased at his four-eyed friend. "Their leader is dead?"

"Missing, actually. But dead is good too."

"And I'm sure you had something to do with this," The slender man chuckled. "Right, Kabuto?"

'Kabuto' could only return the grin his master so elegantly sent him but did not acknowledge his claims. Though his face suddenly turned cold, "There is, however, a problem, sir."

The air grew chillier. "I don't like to hear about problems, Kabuto."

The man nodded, "Understood, sir. We will get rid of her as soon as possible."

"Her? Your problem is a girl?"

"Yes. Apparently, someone was transported outside of the village. We have reason to believe their chakra traces somewhere off the island but still on the Grand Line."

"Find her." The mystery man sighed. "If she doesn't return willingly then just kill her. Her body should still hold enough chakra to be extracted by the time you return."

"Right away, sir."

"Oh and Kabuto?" The ninja, who had already turned his back to complete his master's order, stopped and turned. He froze not a moment later, surprised that his master had somehow appeared right beside him. The man had a deranged look in his beady eyes, dark and long hair casting over his face as he stared at Kabuto. 

"Failure is not an option."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the longer I continue to write this story, the more I will continue to call myself the Cliffhanger Queen. This story has so many cliffhangers its almost nauseating and irritating at the same time. Anyway, she's finally met the crew! It wasn't until the middle of this chapter that I realized this was almost the same as the meeting with Apis. I was half way through with the most surprised expression after realizing this, and just said 'Fuck it. I ain't changing it.' I've already changed this one chapter a dozen times trying to make it perfect. Either way, I kind of figured I wouldn't have Apis in here anyway if I decided to continue with Sakura on their travels. That's the part that worries most. Lol, how do I make Sakura during her travels? 
> 
> SO MANY QUESTIONS! 
> 
> I'm actually not surprised as to how fast these updates are coming. Although, it's just the second chapter, I already expect to have the third chapter up and ready soon. So come back and see me!
> 
> Anyway, reviews are welcome and appreciated.

**Author's Note:**

> Ehhh, I don't really know how I feel about this chapter. I've probably rewritten it dozens of times but something about it just irked me. I told my roommate about it and she just told me I was being paranoid. So, hopefully, it wasn't too bad. 
> 
> Anyway, I decided to make the first chapter pretty much like a Prologue because I thought it would be easier to understand the story this way. Though, there may be a few confusing spots, I assure you they will be explained in later chapters. It's no fun putting everything out there on the first chapter, you know? I don't really know when everything will be exactly explained, especially since I don't know whether or not I want Sakura to join the crew or not? I'm stuck between ending the story a few chapters in as Sakura doesn't join them or keeping it going along with the original storyline so Sakura does join them. But that worries me! Ugh, I don't know. Maybe I'll put a poll up or something.
> 
> WELL, you made it through the first chapter! The next one will be up fairly soon, I was already working on it at the same time I was working on the Prologue. That is also pretty length so you'll get a good read. I hope you enjoyed and please leave a review, they are always appreciated!
> 
> Please comment or tumbl with me: Cloudysays


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